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When Dreams Come True

Today sees the launch of lovely writer pal Rebecca Emin’s second book When Dreams Come True, which is for readers age 10+. Here’s what When Dreams Come True is all about:

Charlie is happiest when biking with Max and Toby, or watching films with Allie. But when Charlie reaches year nine (age 13), everything begins to change.

As her friends develop new interests, Charlie’s dreams become more frequent and vivid, and a family crisis tears her away from her friends.

How will Charlie react when old family secrets are revealed? Will her life change completely when some of her dreams start to come true?

Rebecca’s asked me to tell you about one of my particularly vivid dreams. (I think she also wanted it to be amusing but that’s a real stretch, so I’ll just give you the gist of the dream.)

I am out jogging (I have never jogged in my life unless you count cross country at school many years ago). While out running, I am pursued by two guys in hoodies with guns. Unbeknown to me, my chase is being watched via video hookup by an ever-changing assortment of my friends who haven’t met each other until now but who have all been brought together and are being held against their will by some sinister overlord. Eventually, despite the go faster stripes on my tracksuit, I am caught and bundled into a waiting unmarked black van. After driving for some time and through several borders, and now thoroughly disorientated, I am reunited with my friends in the music room of a big house.

To ensure our release, I have to compete against the evil overlord holding us in a cross country run. (I clearly have a problem with this form of exercise!) Happily, he has foolishly planned a route that takes in an uphill track through the woods and, being Welsh, I shimmy up this like a mountain goat, and gain the advantage in the race, much to his chagrin. He reluctantly has to release us but just as we’re about to reach safety, a shot rings out… and that’s when I always wake up.

I am kind of hoping that, if dreams come true, that’s not the one that does! I would quite happily settle for seeing one of my books published and on a shelf in a real bookstore. Oh, and I’d like some tea and cake to go with that, and positively NO running!

Yep, it’s not much fun – although I do like the bits where I hurdle an obstacle in the road or something to keep running. That’s kind of fun, and I like beating the evil overlord in a race he designed, although the race itself never seems like much fun.

You should try concentrating when you hurdle and as your feet approach the ground again just concentrate harder and harder and eventually you feet just won’t touch the ground and then with a bit more concentration you can start flying.

Sorry I was being rushed and didn’t explain very well – but I used to find that whenever I dreamed of falling then by concentrating on not falling – or keeping space between my feet and the ground, I could stay up. The same with running – you run but you lift your feet but never actually put them down.